For neighbors, Wasson Way is taking a turn to become a destination for transportation and recreation.

Cincinnati's neighborhoods committee agreed to buy 4.1 miles of unused railway for the Wasson Way bike trail.

The trail will run through Hyde Park, Oakley and other east side neighborhoods.

“This another quest big step in Cincinnati's quest to become the best bike city it can be” said Frank Henson, of Queen City Bike. “It allows people to have another way to get around that's healthy, safe and it's green.”

“I live in the neighborhood and I have kids and my kids are excited to ride their bikes on the Wasson Way,” said neighbor Susan Schaefer . “It’s also a great opportunity to make something beautiful that is currently unsightly with overgrown weeds and something that’s not usable.”

Under the agreement, the city has a year or two to come up with the money.

Officials are asking the government for a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant to cover part of the cost of the trail's construction. The trail construction is estimated to cost $20 million.

“The TIGER grant gives us the money to pay for the construction of the bike trails. I think obviously we would all be interested in going ahead with the purchase opportunity and spending the $11 million there if the government is going to spend the construction of the bike trail,” said Vice Mayor David Mann.

The entire plan is to convert 8 miles of rail line into a bike trail.

It eventually would run from Montgomery Road near Xavier University to the Little Miami Trail in Mariemont, connecting 12 neighborhoods along the way.

For the last four years advocates have been working to get this project from weeds to wheels.

“We've seen in this in other states across the country that have built trails where property values have increased. There's opportunities for job creation when they're doing the construction of the trail,” said Schaefer.

The agreement unanimously passed in committee Monday and will go before council for a full vote on Wednesday.